Machine for treating hides or skins



(No Model.)

W. EVANS. MACHINE FOR TREATING HIDES OR SKINS.

No. 484,146. Patented Oct. 11, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM EVANS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR TREATING HlDES-OR SKINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 484,146, dated Qctober11, 1892.

Application filed December 29, 1891. Serial No. 416,490. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM EvANs,a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphiav andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Machines for Treating Hides or Skins, of which i hides, skins, orleather of a form in which a knife or slate cylinderis employed inconjunction with an adjustable feedapron or endless band. It iscustomary in the art of treating hides or skins to first subject them tothe action of a knife-cylinder in order to remove the fleshy substancestherefrom and to then subject the partially-treated hides or skinsto theaction of a so-called slate-cylinder in order to thoroughly remove shorthair.

The principal objects of my present invention are, first, to provide adurable and efficient machine for thoroughly and completely treatinghides or skins; second, to provide such a machine with a knife-cylinderand an independent slate-cylinder arranged in such manner that eitherone of these cylinders may be rapidly and conveniently broughtintooperative position; third, to facilitate the ad justment of the table orswinging frame for feeding the hides or skins to the operatingcylinder,and, fourth, to simplify the construction and improve the operation ofthe slate and knife cylinders of such machines.

My invention consists of a'machine for treat ing hides or skins providedwith a slate and a knife cylinder and with means for permitting each ofsaid cylinders to be successively brought into operative position; andmy invention further consists of the improvements hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

The characteristic features and scope of my invention will be more fullyunderstood from the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and'in which- Figure 1 is afront view of'a machine for treating hides or skins embodying featuresof my invention and showing a knife-cylinder and a slate-cylinderadapted, respectively, to be shifted into andout of operative position.Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2, looking toward the right inFig. 1, showing the disposition or arrangement of the blades and slateswith reference to their respective cylinders. Fig. 3 is a similarsectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showing the arrangement of"the swinging frame and its accessories for adjusting the-feed-apron.Fig. 4 is a top. view showing the development of one-half of theslate-cylinder with the respective slates disposed thereon in suchmanner as that they break joint with one another; and Fig. 5 is atransverse sectional view of the knife-cylinder, drawn to an en-' largedscale and, in, order to illustrate the knives thereof, inclined to theradial position.

In the drawings, a is the main frame of the machine, provided with arota able car dis a'swinging frame journaled at or near one end thereofto a shaft 01, ranging transversely of the frame a. This frame atcarries the other apron-drum c and also a guideroll 01 and an adjustablepressure-roll d e is an endless belt-or feed-apron passing around thefeed-drums c and 0 over the guide-roll 01 and under the pressure-roll dThe shafts or journals of the feed-drums c and c and of thepressure-roll d are rotatable independently of each other and aresupported in boxes working in slotted ways adapted for their reception,so that the feedapron e may be tightened or loosened and otherwiseadjusted by the simpleoperation of shifting the'respective sliding boxesin the required direction, and this result may be readily accomplishedby means of screw-bolts f, interposed between the framework and therespective sliding boxes. The screw-bolts f for operating the apron-drumc are located at the front of the machine and are preferably threaded atthe extremities thereof for engagement with tapped orifices in thesliding boxes and are connected by their shanks with the framework ofthe machine in order to permit of the adjustment of the boxes withoutcausing the shanks of the screw-bolts to project from the front of themachine, and thus cause inconvenience to the attendant in chargethereof. Ordinarily the feed-apron e is kept by gravity in a depressedposition,as shown in Fig. 3, with the stop 6 in contact with the floor.However, the feed-apron 6 may be shifted into a raised position, asshown in Fig. 2, by means of a link 6 and a cen- 4 trally-supportedtreadle 6 under the control of the operator.

h is a series of weights strung upon a pin projecting from the forwardportion of the treadle to counterbalance a portion of the weight of theswinging frame d, and thus facilitate the operation of lifting the sameinto an elevated position, as shown in Fig. 2.

i and k are respectively slate and knife cylinders journaled to the armsb and b of the rotatable carrier by means of journalboxes working inslotted ways and controlled by screw-bolts so that the respectivecylinders may be adjusted toward or away from the axis of the carrier,as required.

Z is a driving-shaft supported in a bracket located upon one side of themachine and provided at one extremity thereof with fixed and loosedriving-pulleys l and Z for the reception of a driving-belt Z and at theother extremity thereof with a friction-clutch m for engaging either theslate or knife cylinder shaft. When it is desired to use theknifecylinder 70, the carrier b is rotated into the position shown inFig. 1 and the friction-clutch m is coupled up with the knife-cylindershaft. The slate-cylinder i may bereadily brought into operativeposition by disconnecting the friction-clutch mfrom the knife-cylindershaft and turning the carrier 1) through a half-revolution and thenconnecting the friction-clutch 'm with the slate-cylinder shaft.

The respective knives k of the knife-cylinder 7c are ordinary bladeshaving their shanks 70 and cutting or operating edges 10 in alignment.However, these blades do not project radially from the periphery of theknife-cylinder, but are inclined with reference to the same so that theyapproach tangential positions thereto, as shown in Figs. 2and 5. Thisconstruction of the knivesk is comparatively inexpensive and preventsaccidental cutting or undue scraping of the hide or skin. The slates 11are disposed upon the slate-cylinder i, Fig. 4, in parallel courses, andthe respect ive slates of all of the courses are arranged to breakjoint, in order to insure the contact of some of the slates with allportions of the hide or skin. The slates comprising each course are notdisposed radially with reference to the periphery of the slate-cylinder,but are inclined successively on opposite sides of the radial position,as shown in Figs. 1, 2,

' and 4, in order to thoroughly effect the removal of all short hairfrom the hide or skin. In use the hide or skin is fed over the board orrest to upon the feed-apron e by the attendant in charge 'of themachine, and the feed-apron e carries the same beneath the knife orslate cylinder, according to which of these membersisin operativeposition. During this operation the apron is shifted into an elevatedposition by means of the treadle, in order to bring the hide or skininto range of the operating-cylinder.

It may be remarked that, inasmuch as separate power appliances areemployed for driving the rotating cylinders and feed-apron, it ispossible to feed the latter at a very low rate of speed and to drive theformer at a high velocity with the expenditure of a minimum amount ofpower. Moreover, the entire absence of gearing from the machine not onlyeffects an appreciable saving of power, but also prevents unpleasantnoises and undue shock and jar.

Having thus described the nature and objectsof my invention, what- Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A machine for treating hides or skins, provided with a rotatablecarrier, a positivelydriven cylinder-shaft, a clutch, and hide-dressingcylinders journaled to said carrier and adapted, respectively, to bebrought into connection with said shaft, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

2. A machine for treating hides or skins, provided with a rotatablecarrier, hide-dressing cylinders journaled in said carrier and adaptedto be singly and successively brought into operative position, apositively-driven cylinder-shaft, and a clutch connected with said shaftand adapted for engagement with each of said cylinders after it is inoperative position, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A machine for treating hidesor skins, provided with a rotatablecarrier, a slate-cylinder and a knife-cylinder journaled to saidcarrier, a positively-driven cylinder-shaft, and a clutch connected withsaid shaft and adapted to detachably engage the spindle or arborof eachof said cylinders, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. A machine for treating hides or skins, provided wit-h a rotatablecarrier having radially-adjustable journal-boxes, a positivelydrivencylindershaft, a clutch connected with said shaft, and a slate and aknife cylinder mounted in said boxes and adapted to be turned into rangeof and adjusted into alignment with said clutch, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

5. The combination, in a machine for treating hides or skins, of a mainframe provided with a feed-apron drum and its complemental drivingmechanism, a swinging frame pro- IIO vided with a feed-apron drum andjournaled at one end thereof to said main frame at a point intermediateof the feed-apron drums, a feed-apron or endless band, and acounterbalanced treadle for lifting said swinging frame to free thefeed-apron, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. A machine for treating hides or skins, provided with a carrier, apositivelydriven shaft, a clutch, and a cylinder provided with slatesarranged in courses obliquely to the radii thereof and the successiveslates inclined in opposite directions from the radial lines,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto 'set my signature in thepresence oftwo subscribing 10 witnesses.

' WILLIAM EVANS.

Witnesses:

GEo; W. REED, THOMAS M. SMITH. a

